Mental Health, Physical Health
Conditions
Keywords
Horticultural therapy, 3D VR, Older adults, long-term care facility, mental health
Brief summary
This study intends to develop a 3DVR-based horticultural therapy intervention to explore the health effectiveness among older adults
Detailed description
Background: Institutionalized older adults have limited ability to engage in horticultural activities that can promote their physical and mental health. Objective: This study explored the effects of a combination of three-dimensional (3D) virtual reality (VR) and horticultural therapy (HT) on institutionalized older adults' physical and mental health. Methods: The study applied a quasi-experimental design. A total of 106 older adults from two long-term care facilities were recruited and assigned to the experimental (n = 59) or control (n = 47) group. The experimental participants received a nine-week intervention. Both groups completed three assessments: at baseline, after the intervention, and two months later. The outcome variables included health status, meaning in life, perceived mattering, loneliness, and depression.
Interventions
OTHERThree-dimensional Virtual Reality and Horticultural Therapy
VR is a realistic, three-dimensional, and virtual environment formed by a combination of computer software and hardware
Sponsors
National Taiwan Normal University
Study design
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* over 65 years old. * being a long-term resident of the selected LTCF * possessing the ability to understand verbal meanings * being able to freely operate a joystick.
Exclusion criteria
* a history of severe psychiatric conditions, dementia, significant visual or hearing impairment, and/or current severe illnesses such as stroke or Parkinson's disease.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Health Status | Two months | To assess the health status of the elderly participants, we used the Chinese Health Scale (CHQ-12). This scale consists of 12 Likert-type items that are scored from 3 (not at all) to 0 (more than usual). The higher the score, the higher the level of general health. |
| Meaning in life. | Two months | The meaning in life questionnaire was adapted from the purpose in life (PIL) survey, and it consists of 9 Likert-type items. Each item is scored on a Likert-type scale from 1-5, with higher scores indicating a higher level of perceived meaning in life. |
| Perceived mattering | Two months | Perceived mattering was adapted from the General mattering Scale (GMS), and consisted of five items. Each item was scored on a Likert-type scale of 1(not at all) to 4(very much) with higher scores indicating a higher level of perceived mattering. |
| Loneliness | Two months | The short-form UCLA Loneliness Scale (ULS-6), which consists of six items, was used to measure loneliness. Each item was reversely scored on a Likert-type scale from 4 (never) to 1 (often), with higher scores indicating a lower level of perceived loneliness. |
| Depression | Two months | Using a Chinese version of the short-form of the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15). The total raw score ranged from 0-15, with a higher score indicating a lower level of depression. |
Countries
Taiwan
Outcome results
None listed